Day38 Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan 4/9/09
St. Leo the Great: Sermon XXI (On the Feast of the Nativity I) : complete
Day 38Lite Version
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries:5-9
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Day37 Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan 4/8/09
St. Leo the Great: Sermon XXVIII (called the Tome”): complete
Day 37Lite Version
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries:1-4
Printer-Friendly Version of Outline: Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan PDF
Here is a site with much to offer by secular Carmelites . Their calling: “to listen to hear the whisper of God in the silence of our hearts. We seek Him, who we know loves us, and contemplate His wonders…… The meditations (& podcasts) are taken directly from the writings of the Church Doctors of Prayer, Mysticism, Confidence and Missionaries (Saints Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Thérèse of Lisieux) as well as many other Carmelites you may not have known before!”
Mother Isabel of the Sacred Heart
“My desires are infinite. . . I have often made them known: firstly, the salvation of souls, of all the souls now on earth and of those which will exist until the end of the world; then that divine love may reign in every soul; that those consecrated to God, especially priests, may reach the height of sanctity to which their vocation calls them; to obtain baptism for infants; that Purgatory may free its captives and may be closed for ever by souls being taught how to fly straight to heaven on leaving this world; that physical and bodily pain may be consoled, soothed, and to a great extent abolished. Yet these desires, like Saint Teresa’s become very grievous when I reflect that Jesus Himself could not obtain the salvation of all souls, nor make Himself loved by all, nor save them all from the tortures of Purgatory or from Limbo. I am troubled by the profound mystery of God s will being frustrated in His wishes by the contrary designs of His creatures, and I pray: “Father, since this is so, I entreat Thee to grant as far as possible the longings of the Heart of Jesus, for all His desires are mine,” and this brings me peace.
This was, for a long time, my only way of hearing Mass. When the sacred Host was up raised after the words of Consecration, I used to say: “Father, behold Thy beloved Son in “Whom Thou has set all Thy pleasure; hear Him!” This “Hear Him!” which expressed all my longings, meant: “Grant all He asks; realize all His desires!”
– Mother Isabel of the Sacred Heart
Day36 Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan 4/7/09
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries: 5-9
Day 36 Lite Version
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXIII (12-23)
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Day35 Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan 4/6/09
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries: 1-4
Day 35 Lite Version
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXIII (1-11)
Printer-Friendly Version of Outline: Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan PDF
Red draped the Crucifix as it proceeded amidst waving palm branches – blood red! Shouts of “Hail and hosanna” would soon change to “Crucify!” It is so brief a time to reign and be acknowledged as the Holy One of God. Our homilist, Fr. Michael De Palma asked what happened? For the Church, not many weeks ago, we were gazing on the face of the Christ Child. Angels sang and Wise Men bowed low. We sang:
“Sacred Infant, all Divine,
What a tender love was Thine;
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this !
Teach, oh, teach us, Holy Child,
By Thy face so meek and mild.
Teach us to resemble Thee,
In Thy sweet humility !
What happened? Have we, too, dismissed Him? He reigns on our calendars, but what about our hearts? What other loves have replaced Him in our day to day? Can we bear to look upon His disfigured Face? Can we “Behold the Man?.”
Father Michael invited us to live this week differently from all others, to banish all other loves and gaze upon one bruised and bloodied Face. Angels trembled at what we had done to the Son of God. They trembled, too, at what He accomplished on that Cross for me and you.
We will soon sing with the Church around the world:
O Sacred Head, surrounded
by crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding head, so wounded,
reviled and put to scorn!
Our sins have marred the glory
of thy most holy face,
yet angel hosts adore thee
and tremble as they gazeI see thy strength and vigor
all fading in the strife,
and death with cruel rigor,
bereaving thee of life;
O agony and dying!
O love to sinners free!
Jesus, all grace supplying,
O turn thy face on me.(Words Henry Williams Baker after Bernard of Clairvaux)
One Holy Week remains of Lent. We are invited to walk these days with our Lord to Calvary. Without the Cross there is no Resurrection, no Easter glory. With Christ we, too, can rise again to new Life
“When He is King we will give Him the Kings’ gifts,
Myrrh for its sweetness, and gold for a crown…When He is King they will clothe Him in grave-sheets,
Myrrh for embalming and wood for a crown..Bethlehem Down – words by Bruce Blunt
Be Holy! 